'95 Leagcy EJ22 sudden no start

[dmeucci]

I am not using this car as my daily driver. I drove it last weekend and then parked it. Two days later I went out to start it and it would not turn over. The fan, radio, horn, etc work so not the battery. I even jumped it just in case. I did buy a new battery this yr too fyi.

 

While the hood was open I noticed my belt to the ac compressor was broken. I have not used the ac in yrs. though.

 

So I wonder if it may be the clutch sensor that needs to be engaged to start??

 

Other ideas?

 

Thanks for you advice all!

[Olnick]

Hi dmeucci. When "it would not turn over" could you hear any sound, like a click from the starter solenoid?

[JPX]

You might want to check the starter solenoid contacts. When they wear out, the solenoid plunger can't conduct enough to turn over the starter motor.

 

 

You can replace the solenoid or even the entire starter. But a lower cost solution would be to pick up a set of copper contacts from an alternator repair shop for a few bucks and polish up the plunger with a piece of sandpaper.

[dmeucci]

I hear no clicks or anything.....I will check with an alternator repair shop for those contacts and see if that works.

 

I will let you know! Thanks for the speedy reply*

[dmeucci]

I am able to turn key into Accessory and my radio works, On and I can turn on my fan and Start I do hear a click.

 

I hot wired from my battery to my starter and it turned on. I did not have someone holding the clutch in...it was in neutral.

 

So here is where I am at..... I used my voltmeter.

 

I checked the single wire going into the starter and nothing, someone else started it with clutch in while I measured.

 

I checked the Clutch Pedal Ignition and nothing...

 

I checked the Ignition switch terminal and with the key in those three position and I get nothing....when i plug it back in I get the Acc, On working.

 

So can I duduce that the Start does to work within the Igintion switch and I should order a new one?

 

I realize that with the terminal side I should get some reads comming off the Ignition switch but the start position many just not work.

[Fairtax4me]

Probably a safe bet the ignition switch is bad.

[SubaruAlliance]

have you checked for continuity at the clutch switch? you should have continuity there when the switch is pressed. i just saw on your post you checked the clutch pedal ignition and got nothing. if it is the clutch switch you could jump it, or wire up a momentary contact push button to the starter solenoid.

 

when you tested the ignition were you looking for resistance / continuity?

 

doesn't seem to me that the ignition is the fault if you were able to jump it and it ran, and if your accessories work with the key in the acc position.

 

also do your dash lights come on when in the run position? low oil light, check engine light, etc. etc. ?

[dmeucci]

Update for 10-29.

 

I checked the continuity of the clutch ignition switch and it works. I also was able to check the continuity of the ignition switch and that works too in all three positions.

 

I hot wired the starter directly from the battery to see if the solinoied works and it starts up. I was not able to get a volt reading from the wire that goes into the starter.....So that is why I thought it was farther back like the clutch or ignition switches.

 

Right now I am having my battery charged. It just read 350 Cranking Amps and 12 something Volts.

 

I am able to run the fan, radio, and windows but not start it......All lights work too. Except the hazards....

 

Something does click when I turn to start.

 

Is there a different way to test the line from the clutch switch to the starter?

[johnceggleston]

you need a relay. there was a good thread last mont or so that describes the fix. basically the problem is that there is not enough juice getting to the starter solenoid through the ignition wiring. or not enough to engage the solenoid. by adding a relay, the juice coming from the ignition switch activates the new relay and it then sends juice directly from the battery to the solenoid. the fix is easy, cheap and most of all it works. the other possible solution is replacing the solenoid contacts. but if you do the relay you probably do not need to do that.

 

but as wtdash wrote today in his thread, "...so I'm thinking I had a bad ground all along." i assume you checked your connections already.

 

try searching here for the 'starter relay fix' maybe or 'starterrelayfix' or ''starterrelay* ". i can't remember the tagline i gave it.

 

this is a fairly common problem and there is good info on the fix.

Edited October 29, 2010 by johnceggleston

[Olnick]

Something does click when I turn to start./quote]

 

Is that click coming from under the hood? If it's the starter solenoid engaging, then I would definitely suspect the copper contacts that JPX showed in post #3.

 

Remove the starter (it's not too difficult a job), open up the back of the solenoid (that pentagonal shaped plate) and inspect the L-shaped contacts.

 

Good luck.

[Ricearu]

if you can jump from battery to the small "s" terminal on the starter, you have no problem with the starter itself. to remove it is useless.

 

you can... a. wire up the relay like the other guy said

or b. wire up a push to start button on the dash somewhere, just wire it from accessory on ignition switch, to the side of the clutch switch which recieves the "start" signal and carries on to the starter itself. that way you must have the key "on", and push in the clutch and push the start button for it to crank.

[dmeucci]

I get continuity through the clutch switch.....and I can hot wire start the starter from the battery through the "S connector on back of Solenoid".

 

I do not get volts though from the clutch switch to the "S connector"

 

Is there another replay or something between these two?

 

I probably will just install a push button start into the dash but would like to know why I am not getting any volts from the female connector that goes onto the back of the starter solenoid.

 

 

 

Thanks again*

[johnceggleston]

I do not get volts though from the clutch switch to the "S connector"

 

you only get power to that connector when the key is in the start position which is hard to do unless you have a helper. the other test you can do is splice a small light bulb on to the wire. then every time you "start" the car the bulb will light up.

 

please disregard if you knew this.

[dmeucci]

Yep I have a helper turning the key in the start position. I am in the engine bay looking at the volt meter hooked to the wire that goes into the "S" terminal.....

 

Anyway I still do not know why the volts are not getting to the Starter??

[Hendrik]

You could try this (it is for an "old generation") but the problem and solution is the same.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=38952

 

succes !

[dmeucci]

OK I have decided to install a push button starter. Here is what I have and what I will do.

 

I have a 40amp relay SPST that I will install under the dash. I will connect the blk w/yellow wire from the ignition switch before the connector to to the starter button and then to #86. I will use the ground wire from that IG as well and connect to #85?

 

I have 12ga wire that I will run from the + battery through a 30amp fuse through the firewall to the relay and connect to #87.

 

I will connect a wire to the starter via #30 going back through the firewall. I am not able to use the old female connector so I have a new one.

 

86 connect to start button. I also ground the start button.

 

I am bypassing the clutch switch.

 

I will leave the cruise control cancel attached. Will that still work.

 

Any thoughts? Thanks Group!!

Edited November 2, 2010 by dmeucci
update

[Fairtax4me]

Keep the relay under the hood (on the strut tower or somewhere easy to get to) and keep your high amp wires as short as possible. Also use a fusible link on the high amp circuit rather than plain wire (in case it shorts, the link will burn out rather than the wire catching fire and burning the car to the ground).

Run only one wire through the firewall, the one from the switch to the pull side of the relay.

[dmeucci]

So I already hooked it up this way.

 

#30 is now + Battery through 30 amp fuse 5 inches from post. Then through firewall using the fan control hole to the #30

 

#87 goes to starter via firewall same hole...

 

Push Botton starts her right up......now I wonder how long till I need to replace the copper contance in the starter solenoid.

 

Thanks for the support on this one.

 

I'll report any changes from this conversion.

[MilesFox]

there is no relay in the ignition system, and you do not need a hi amp switch for the starter.

 

the contacts in the ignition swithc itself are bad.

 

a simple 12 or 14 ga wire will do. this circuit draws less then one amp, and momentary pushbutton stealthily mounted on the dash will do.

 

tie in the hot side of the swithc to the fuse panel, to a fuse that comes on with the key. you can hotwire the button to crank the motor while its off for the sake of maintenance and belts.

[dmeucci]

I figured I needed somewhat of a higher amp start button because 45 amps are going to the IG Switch.

 

I measured the continuity of the IG Switch and it all works well. I also measured the clutch switch and that too worked well.

 

What does not is the female connector to the starter solenoid.

 

So I bypass that section of the start system.....

 

So hence the need to get the starter to start directly from the battery.

 

I guess I am not following your recomendations MilesFox.